Gate-valve



M. C. CHRISTENSEN.

' GATE VALVE. APPLICATION FILED MAY5,1920.

1,398,678, Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

AZ. I C. Gin St7387i NIT STATES! CHRISTIAN CHRISTENSEN, or TACOMA,WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF N i ivroemvs HALF TO RANDOLPH F. BADEBAUGH, OFTACOMA, WASHINGTON.

GATE-VALVE. I

seaers.

Specification of Letters Patent. pat ntgd v v 29, 1 2

Application filed May 5, 1920. Serial No. 379,091.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, MocnNs CHRISTIAN CHrIs'rnNsEN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State ofWashington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grate-Valves,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valves used for drawing off the contents ofmolasses barrels and the like, and has for its object the provision of agate valve provided with auto matic locking means which will operate tolock the valve in closed position so that accidental opening thereofwill be prevented. In valves of this type there isI'a projection servingas a handle for effecting opening and closing and it very frequentlyoccurs that the clothing'of a person passing catcheson this projectionand causes thevalve to be opened with resultant waste. It is with thisobjection in'mind that the present invention has been designed.

An important object is the provision of a device of this character inwhich the looking means is so constructed thatit will snap into placethe instant that the valve is closed but yet which may be very quicklyand easily released when it is desired to open the valve.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this characterwhich will be simple .and inexpensive in manufacture, highly efficientin use, durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

WVith the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of the valve,

Fig.2 is a front elevation,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1 with the valve inclosed position, and i p Fig. 4 is a similar view with the valve in openposition.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 designatesthe body of the valve which is of a well known type} This body is of theusual shape and has one end threaded for engagement within a barrel orcask and has its other end provided with an arcuate bearing face orplate11. The movable part of the valve comprises a U-shaped yoke 12 havingits arms straddling and pivotedupon the body 10, as shown at 13. At itsbight portion this yoke carries a socket 14 within which is disposed acoil spring 15 which engages against a plate 16 the outer face of whichis curved on the same arc as plate 11 against which it fits tightly forforming a closure for the bore of the bodyYlO. Also formed on this yokeis a handle 17 by means of which the valve may be opened and closed. Itis observed that in order to open the valve it is merely necessary'tograsp the handle .17 and swing the yoke so asto uncoverthe hole in thebody. These parts are all well known and I claim no novelty for them butshow them'as being necessary to a full understanding of the invention.In carrying out my leaf-spring 18 secured upon one arm ofthe yoke 12 andextending through aguide bracket 19 carried by saidyoke arm. The otherend of this spring projects beyond the invention I provide a edge of thearm of the yoke and has secured thereto a block-like member 20 having afinger piece or handle 21 formed thereon and carrying a pin 22 which isadapted to ride over an inclined shoulder 23 on that side of thedischarge end of the. body. I'also provide a recess 24 in the side ofthe body within which the pin 22 engages when the valve is inclosed'position. The valve being closed, when it is desired to open it,it is merely necessary that the operator only grasp the handle 17, placehis thumb upon the finger piece or handle 21 and press the samelaterally against the force of the spring.

18 to disengage the pin 22 from the recess 24. The yoke is now unlockedand may be opened in the ordinary manner.

From the foregoing descriptlon and a study of the drawings it will beapparent that I have thus provided a highly efficient and yet simplyconstructed locking device by means of which a gate valve may be lockedclose to prevent it from accidentally opening. It will also be observedthat the locking device does not necessitate any alterations in theconventional gate valve and that it may therefore be applied easily toexisting gate valves of the well known type. V V

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the V rightto make such changes the form, construction, and arrangement of parts aswill not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having .thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a gate valve structure including a body and amovable yoke pivoted thereto and carrying a closure plate for thedischarge end thereof, a lockingdevice comprising a spring secured atone end upon the yoke, a guide bracket carried by the yoke and throughwhich said spring extends, a block member carried by the projecting endof the spring and formed with a handle, and a catch projecting from saidblock member, the body being provided with a recess for the reception ofsaid catch and havin an inclined shoulder leading thereto.

2. iii combination with a gate valve structure, including body or spoutmember and a movable yoke pivoted thereto and carrying a plate servingas a closure for the discharge end of the spout, a locking devicecomprising a spring secured at one end to the yoke and provided with afinger piece or handle, and a lateral projection carried by the spring,said body or spout having a recess for the reception of the said lateralprojection.

3. In combination with a gate Valve structure, including a bored bodymember and a yoke member comprising side arms pivotally secured to theopposite sides of said body member and a plate connecting the outer endsof said arms and serving as a closure for the discharge end of said bodymember, and a spring actuated latch carried by one of said yoke arms andlaterally engaging the body member to lock the closure plate against thedischarge end of the said body member.

4. In combination with a gate valve structure, including body member andspout carried thereby, the discharge end of said spout having an arcuateface and a yoke member comprising a pair of side arms pivotally securedat one end to the body member, and an arcuate closure plate carried atthe other end of said arms, an inclined shoulder mounted on the bodymember, a plate spring secured at one end to one of the side arms andcarrying a finger piece at its free end, a lateral projection extendinginwardly from said spring and adapted to engage and ride upon saidinclined shoulder, said body portion having a recess for the receptionof said lateral projection, whereby to maintain the closure plate inlocked position.

ture, including a body member or spout and a member comprising side armsand a clos- 5. In combination with a gate valve strucure plate, saidside arms extending therefrom and pivotally secured to the body member,and a laterally impelled movable looking means carried by one of saidside arms and operating automatically to lock the yoke against movementwhen the closure plate is in closed position.

MOGENS CHRISTIAN CHRISTENSEN.

